Generally, refrigerators are used to store food at a low temperature and are configured to refrigerate or freeze food according to the state of the food.
The inside of a refrigerator is cooled by cooling air that is continuously generated by heat exchange with a refrigerant undergoing a compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation cycle repeatedly. Supply of cool air is enabled by an evaporator disposed inside the refrigerator. Air cooled at the evaporator is distributed throughout the inside of the refrigerator by convection so that food can be kept in the refrigerator at a desired temperature.
The trends in recent refrigerators are size up and multi-functionalization based on various user demands and changes in eating habits, and thus products having various configurations are being introduced to the market.
An ice-making apparatus for generating ice is provided inside the refrigerator for user's convenience. The ice-making apparatus is provided in a refrigerator body or a refrigerator door, and configured to generate the ice using the cool air.
Water must be supplied to an ice tray in which the water is frozen in order to make the ice in the ice-making apparatus. The ice-making apparatus may have various configurations according to methods by which the water is supplied to the ice tray.
Typically, there is an ice-making apparatus in which a water supply pipe connected to an auxiliary water supply source provided for supplying the water extends to an ice tray. There is an ice-making apparatus in which an ice tray is separated and directly receives water from a water supply source, and then is installed again in a refrigerator. There is an ice-making apparatus in which water is supplied to a detachable water tank, and the water tank containing the water is installed in a refrigerator to supply the water to the ice tray.